The entire team of Empowering You Consulting coaches and trainers personally built a successful beauty business from the ground up. No wonder they’ve been able to help dozens of salon and spa owners set goals, understand finances and meet key performance indicators. Now, the company is expanding with its first Booth Renter’s Boot Camp, which includes three months of coaching, personal phone calls, the company’s RockStar CD and more. According to co-owner Amy Carter, just a few of the topics covered are creating a vision, marketing, defining your purpose, serving not selling and doubling your revenue. Here are just a few of her Solo Artist tips for staying accountable and working smarter:

Accountability

Often, we hold others accountable but forget to do the same with ourselves. There are three main ways in which you can take responsibility and hold yourself accountable.

Don’t play the blame game—take ownership of your actions and choices. These include the way in which you communicate with others, how you show up every day, and managing your personal attitude and your thoughts.

Be responsible. Follow through on your commitments. Don’t over promise and under deliver. Be a person of your word.

Set goals and/or intentions. One surefire way to hold yourself accountable is to measure your successes. Set goals or daily intentions and you’ll have a clear picture of where you are going. Include professional goals, financial goals and even personal fitness goals. Being accountable is nothing more than following through with your commitments and responsibilities. When you take 100% responsibility for holding yourself accountable, your performance and relationships will flourish.

Working Smart Not Harder

Success may be the result of hard work, but working hard can also result in failure. It’s important to recognize that there’s a difference between working hard and working smart. The biggest problem here is having too much work and not enough time do it. No matter how you juggle your schedule, the number of hours in a day never changes. So, create an effective plan to work smarter. Include:

Using technology wisely. Technology has made it possible to automate many daily tasks in the salon. To save time, use online appointment books, email marketing programs, financial software and more. You can save time on inventory control, paying taxes and even connecting with clients.

Managing your time. Being time-inefficient always results in having to work harder. Take control of your schedule and don’t over-commit yourself. Be realistic. Everyone has just 24 hours or 1,440 minutes in a day for both personal and professional time. Have a clear understanding of exactly how much time any particular project will take.

Communicating effectively. Effective communication is the foundation of a successful business. When consulting with clients, make sure you are 100% present in the conversation. Get your client in agreement before you proceed. This will prevent you from having to redo services.

Making a to-do list. Every night, spend a few minutes creating a to-do list for the next day. Identify unfinished business and/or projects that need to be completed. Then prioritize each item on your list. As you complete an item, cross it off. Anything left on your list at the end of the day should start off the next day’s list.

After working in many different salons as an employee, manager, wedding coordinator and as a self-employed stylist, Gioia Gomez, currently based at Akasu Hair Studio & Spa, found the perfect balance. “There are many different ways to be a productive, profitable hairdresser. No one way is the right way for everyone,” she says. “I’ve found being a solo artist is a perfect fit for me.”

New Year, new resolutions! We asked our SOLO Artist Advisory Council, a panel of industry experts who lend their voices to important topics for independent stylists, their opinion on “What new, creative business strategies should Solo Artists try in 2018?”

Let the gift giving begin! The holiday season is upon us—how will you treat yourself and your clients? CosmoProf is celebrating the spirit of the season by offering duos, trios and gift sets from your favorite brands.

Imagine the freedom of setting a flexible schedule, having the perfect work-life balance or the power of determining how every cent earned is spent. What about saying “yes” to other opportunities—whether personal or professional—because you can? Women entrepreneurship is growing—are you going to be one of them?

We asked our Solo Artist Advisory Council, “What back-to-school services are smart for solo artists (and all stylists) to offer this September.” They offered us their two cents and gave us some service and product ideas, too.

If you don't already follow Leysa Carrillo on Instagram, you're missing out. The Vegas-based colorist blows us away time and time again with her beautiful colormelts, styling skills and creative color. See why she is featured in the 2017 MODERN SALON 100.

When the profession is hot but the haircut prices are not, it’s time to up your game. At Roc’s Barber Shop within iStudio Salons in Orlando, Florida, Wahl Ambassador Berman Rodriguez (@Rocdizz) got out of the $12 men’s cut zone with key six steps that anyone can use.